In having this conversation, it occurred to me that the analogy between pipe smoking and Perfume is pretty strong. here are some thoughts on how this is so: https://twitter.com/faggyfougere/status/1357749178017980420

Obviously they both involve the senses. Perfume is mostly smell with a little sight (the bottle). Pipe smoking is primarily taste with a meaningful dollop of smell. Depending on whether you are also into the aesthetics of the pipe itself (me!) it can also be a visual experience.

The greatest commonality is that the product itself is the work of a craftsman/artist (blender v perfumer) who formulates from a vast variety of ingredients to create a unified perfume/blend that delivers a specific aesthetic experience.

The perfumer and blender both work within known categories, e.g., Chypre, Fougere, Oriental, Floral, Water, Amber, etc. versus Virginia, Virginia Perique, English, Balkan, Scottish, Oriental, Aromatic.

Perfume has concentrations (PP, EDT, EdP). Tobacco doesn’t, but has form factors (ribbon cut, shag cut, plug, flake, broken flake, crumble cake).

While perfume people enjoy the bottles, I suspect most still think of them as primarily a container and while it is nice that it is nice, for most, it is rarely the main thing.

Pipe smokers are divided. The majority, I think, consider pipes to be primarily a smoke delivery device. But many pipe smokers, myself among them, derive much pleasure from the pipes, just as they do from the smoke.

The aesthetics of pipes as object would be another long thread, but it comes down to appreciation of the combination of briar grain (or sandblast grain and technique), design form, line, proportion and execution.

While this is not me, many people are really into collecting examples of a particular factory’s output in preferred shapes and finishes, e.g., Dunhill, Peterson, Castello, etc.

And there are schools of design, notably English, Danish, Italian, and American with their distinct styles.

But that is all a divergence from the real similarity, I think between pipes and perfumes. So if you like one, try the other!

I will say that the image pipe smoking has, probably doesn’t comport with the image perfume people think they want. And, in fact, because pipe tobacco is tobacco, their is very little marketing and image building now. But look past that!